There’s nothing like a good alternative rock release, and the self-titled debut EP from Soft No fits that bill entirely perfectly. Soft No came out only last week from the Philly-based band, made up of childhood friends Scott Signorino (guitar), Allie Lannutti (vocals, bass), Austin Lotz (guitar), Jon Martello (drums), and Kate Lowe (keyboard/synth). It features five tracks that were all produced by the band with Mark Watter, who’s done audio engineering work for both Alex G and Hop Along. Soft No has only been together for a little over a year now, with their sound still somewhat loose, with inspirations from several alt-rock subgenres and local Philly music scenes. This includes modern indie rock, 90s grunge, emo, metal, and most prominently – a lot of noisy shoegaze.
All of Soft No’s tracks are well-crafted pieces of noisy, dense, and heavy psychedelia that persistently grab your attention, even if they may lack distinction from each other. For a release that’s only five songs and 16 minutes long, this isn’t necessarily a bad thing. It functions more as a quick introduction to the band and their talents as opposed to an album that’s more chronological and focused as a full experience. Each track is wonderfully noisy and drenched in layers of instruments and textures. The opener “Keeping Tabs” earns comparison to classic noise rock acts like My Bloody Valentine, with the guitar playing and distortion being consistently impeccable throughout the album. Most of the other songs follow a similar formula with minor differences, such as touches of grunge on “Take Your Word”, metal on “Descender”, and an uptempo garage/punk sound on “Melting Timelines”. The latter tracks are easily my favorites, being just as abrasive as well as enjoyable and fun to rock out to. With a lot of shoegaze and noise rock, the vocals tend to blend into the background, but it feels more intentional here as they function more like an instrument in themselves. I also think the drumming and bass playing are key to many of these songs, as they provide a dynamic rhythm that keeps the songs from becoming too focused on atmosphere. Still, I’d like to hear more of the vocals and lyrics in later releases, even if they’re not what the band currently chooses to emphasize.
Soft No’s debut EP is instantly recommendable to fans of abrasive, heavy alt-rock and shoegaze, and really impressed me as I listened to it. The band’s tight chemistry is center-stage throughout, and I hope they keep working together when creating a more focused LP in the future.
The world’s favorite cowboy, Orville Peck, took the stage on Day 2 of the Newport Folk Festival 2024. His feisty set — and incredible boots — was a standout, and Eric Tsurumoto got a few fun photos for proof.
Alternative pop trio MUNA dropped by the first day of Newport Folk Festival 2024 in Rhode Island to check out some of their favs. They were also there to perform and, actually first and foremost, did just that. In fact, they performed their asses off. Katie Gavin performed some acoustic solo tracks as well. Thankfully, Eric Tsurumoto grabbed some highlights for us.
Indie sensation Thao brought down the house on day 3 of the Newport Folk Festival 2024. Photographer Eric Tsurumoto captured some of the raw emotion from the set, and it is absolutely gorgeous.
With additional highlights to come, we can definitively say that Newport Folk Festival this year was nothing short of insane. With powerhouse performances by so many living legends, it was an unforgettable weekend. Saturday was no different, bringing highlights from bands like Craige and Slim, Chaparelle, Hermanos Gutierrez, Killer Mike, Rhiannon Giddens, and more. Highlights by Eric Tsurumoto below.
It’s no secret that Massachussetts-bred alt-rock outfit — and activist act — Guster is a crowd favorite. Things were no different for the festival crowd at Newport Folk Fest this year, as the band played an energetic set on the coast. Eric Tsurumoto grabbed some photos for us.
De La Soul is one of the most iconic groups of all time. They brought their energetic brand of hip-hop to the Newport Folk Festival to help us close out the last day. Eric Tsurumoto grabbed some snaps of the set.
Award-winning musician and writer Allison Russell has been bringing her unique blend of magic to the Newport Folk Festival for quite some time. She has performed there in bands and as a solo act now, and is absolutely thrilling to watch. Photographer Eric Tsurumoto grabbed some highlights from her set during Day 1, below.
On Sunday, Conan O’Brien stepped out on stage at Newport Folk Festival and proved to us that television isn’t the only thing he is good at. Joined by the incredible band Dawes, O’Brien played guitar and sang to an absolutely delighted audience. Later, Jack White joined him on stage.
